New Web site lets soldiers 'ask' for assignments

WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- A new Web-based program that gives enlisted soldiers a say in choosing their next duty assignment went active Oct. 12.

The Assignment Satisfaction Key, or ASK, Internet tool at www.perscom.army.mil, provides soldiers with the capability to post assignment preference information directly onto the Total Army Personnel Database.

Assignment preferences are no longer "Dream Sheets" as they used to be called, said Col. Jeffrey Redmann, deputy director of Enlisted Personnel Management. Under the old system, soldiers could choose from 230 continental United States locations and 280 overseas locations, he said.

"In reality, soldiers had little chance of being assigned to many of these locations," Redmann said.

ASK will require soldiers to select three CONUS locations and three other preferences outside of the United States.

Preference locations mean that if a soldier has to rotate or do a special duty like drill sergeant or recruiter, this is the place or the duty he would prefer, said Master Sgt. Thomas Gills, a branch manager at Total Army Personnel Command. The first two preference choices will be from the Army’s 10 divisions, because that’s where soldiers are needed most, Gills said. The other choice will be from Table and Distribution of Allowance, or TDA installations.

Soldiers are also required to select three CONUS and three OCONUS volunteer locations from a list of TDA installations. Volunteer locations mean that if a soldier has to change duty stations now, this is where he would want to go, Gills said.

Soldiers who don’t submit preferences will be sent to duty stations based on the needs of the Army, Gills said.

Soldiers will need to use their Army Knowledge Online account password to gain access to their information. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki directed that all soldiers get an AKO account by Oct. 1.

The completion of the new Web application culminates a five-year project, titled Operation Engage, to improve communications between enlisted managers and soldiers, PERSCOM officials said.

Other Operation Engage initiatives include putting fax machines in all enlisted career branches for expeditious processing. Soldiers will be able to easily identify their branch managers by a unique e-mail address. Also, there are pocket cards for soldiers with career branch phone numbers, e-mail addresses and fax numbers.

Direct mailings are also being sent to enlisted soldiers to notify them of assignments and other career management information. Almost 5,000 PERSCOM telegrams are sent to soldiers each week. Another initiative is the interactive voice response system, which is an interactive telephone system that provides enlisted soldiers with automated assignment, school, and retention information 24 hours a day. The IVRS telephone number is 1-800-FYI-EPMD.